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What is this?
How many city workers does it take to turn on a lightbulb?
Published Friday, January 2, 2009
A drive by the Natchez Visitor Reception Center lately evokes a wide-range of emotions for me.
Despite displays of Santa Claus and his reindeer, snowmen and stars, I am less than cheery about the skeletal remains of the city’s attempt at holiday cheer.
Others may not even notice these wire frames peeking up over the hills surrounding the visitor center. They are hardly visible, but they are there.
On Dec. 8, I drove into the visitor center parking lot to take holiday photos for the front page. I thought it would be nice to promote the city’s new Christmas light display.
Crews had just started to take the wire-frame lights from the city Christmas parade and install them around the center parking lot.
It was a great idea.
What I had hoped would be a quick photo turned into a four-hour wait until I could take a quick shot of three employees actually installing lights.
There were three city trucks parked in front of the center that morning — enough I thought to get the lights installed quickly. When I approached, no one was doing anything.
“We are waiting on stakes,” one of the workers explained.
Never mind the piles of lights waiting to be moved into place or the various other decorations yet to be put up. All work had ceased until four stakes could be found for this one display.
Six employees waited in city trucks reading the paper and talking on the phone until one of their own drove back to the city barn, found the stakes, and then returned.
In all, it took an hour to get the stakes. By the time the stakes arrived, the workers decided it was a good time to take a lunch break.
Not wanting to waste any more of my time, I went to check off other items on my to-do list. When I returned an hour-and-a-half later, one display was finally complete.
Unfortunately, I missed the shot. No sooner had city workers finished one display; they were once again standing around idle. This time they were waiting for bolts — bolts they could not find.
Thankfully, I eventually got a photo, some four hours after I first drove into the visitor center parking lot. I left in dismay, hoping that they would eventually get the display complete.
If you are scratching your head wondering if you missed seeing the lights this Christmas, you haven’t.
The corner of Canal Street and John R. Junkin remained dark this holiday season.
Despite the hours of labor it took to get the display erected, not to mention the hours waiting around for stakes and bolts, the city evidently didn’t have an adequate plan for getting power to the lights in the first place
Which begs the question …
If the city does not have the ability to plan and organize a simple holiday light display, then how will our leaders ever accomplish anything remotely complicated — like maintaining city streets, addressing the city’s recreation needs, improving our schools and attracting new industry?
A lot has been said recently of the mayor’s campaign promises of free water and state-of-the-art recreation facilities.
Mayor Jake Middleton’s most important pledge, in my mind, was his promise to change how the city works. In his campaign and in a chat on our Web site, Middleton touted a top-down, hands-on approach to leading. He said he would hold people accountable. He promised to “find out what the problems are and solve them.”
If that is not happening at the level of Christmas lights, is it happening at any other level in the city?
There is no evidence of it yet.
Ben Hillyer is the Web editor of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3540.
Comments
Posted by steve_o (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 12:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Excellent post Ben!
How can something so simple be so complicated?
Posted by concernedNTZcitizen (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 12:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This happens all the time with city workers. They ride around on the clock so they can get paid or go home early and have someone clock them out later on.
Posted by lookingout (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 1:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
very good article!!!!! now just get the answers to your questions.
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 6:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks Ben. Keep after 'em.
Posted by kpage1 (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 6:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
......you feel that Ben? That's the collective "pat on the back" from all of us. Thanks. Excellent article.
Posted by triscuit (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 7:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Every city supervisor needs to roll up this newspaper and give their subordinates a good beating with it, and then turn around and beat themselves with it. In this time of economic stress these workers won't lose their jobs and they'll even draw a pension when they retire. They don't know how good they have it and they need an attitude adjustment. The sorry attitude is pervasive and it comes from the top down, and city employees aren't the only guilty ones, but they have job security and great benefits and they need to be the first ones to toe the line of a better work ethic. Good editorial Ben, your writing will make the guilty cringe - and hopefully reflect.
Posted by presby (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 7:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The same thing is happening at other levels of the city and they are more public employess yakkin on phones and loafing around than most know.
Maintenance men come to the job with one pair of pliers to work on equipment
Posted by presby (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 7:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Wonder what the Automouths are gonna say this time,they will blame it on a cosmic dust storm.
Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 8 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks Ben for saying publicly what we all know. Keep the heat on 'em!
Posted by presby (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 8:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That happens all the time..just like it did at Armstrong for years...
Posted by sandyman7 (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 8:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
about as many as it takes at the ND to "PROOF READ" the paper... Such as the last few weeks when one WHOLE page was printed TWICE..!!!!
Posted by fsranger (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 8:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What are you going to do about it??? Try firing one of these folks and see how fast they move to the EEOC (or whatever) office. Like a lightning bolt then.
Posted by itsmemame (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Although these people are employed, they remain a big part of the "give me" society. No work ethic!!! "I AGREED to WORK for you but, I have changed my mind... GIVE ME a pay check anyway." That attitude, my dear friends, is called STEALING!!! And if you have forgotten, here it is repeated... "Thou shall not steal."
Posted by Kaintuck (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 9:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This phenomenon is not limited to Natchez: It is found worldwide in virtually ALL government positions (municipal, county, state and federal employees) ranging from Russian submariners to our own FBI agents; who were tipped-off repeatedly by various flight instructors, that Saudi nationals living in our country illegally, were learning to fly commercial aircraft - but strangely not interested in learning how to LAND them. The FBI's response? "Get me another cherry Danish with coffee!"
How about Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)? Twenty million illegal aliens who can't speak English, obvious to tens of millions of taxpaying (and jobless) Americans, go virtually undetected daily by well-paid ICE agents charged with immigration enforcement. Ben is on the right track, but it is a long, wide and muddy trail...
Posted by been_there (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 9:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Great editorial Ben, But alas, this is how it is in just about any city in the U.S. In N.O. it takes about 12 guys to stand around all day looking at the pot hole they should have filled in 5 minutes.
Posted by whiterabbit (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 10:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That's certainly right about proof reading the ND. There are even words left out in this editorial.
Posted by NameThatTune (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 10:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why does the City bother putting up Christmas decorations? The City is not in the entertainment business. With all the budget constraints and the current recession, not to mention what financial problem will occur in the future, time, money, and labor should not have been spent on Christmas displays. (Even Pilgrimage was halted during the war!)
Those workers could have been better utilized picking up trash or, sweeping sidewalks, or cleaning up Duncan Park after the hurricanes and tornado. They should be repairing the walking trail for all of us to use.
Granted, the Mayor has not been in office long enough to fix everything from past administrations. I think the City of Natchez needs a blog/suggestion box. If citizens only used the suggestion box to let the Mayor and Aldermen become aware of problems, i.e., speed bumps, high crime area, etc. it would be better than everybody groaning about what the City HASN'T done.
Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 12:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The ND is not paid for by our taxes. The expenses of the paper, including salaries, is paid by the advertisers and those who subscribe to or buy the paper copy. The city employees on the other hand are being paid by the taxes those who live in the city pay. The county employees, paid by my taxes, are no better. The mentality is why work when you can get paid anyway?
Posted by foghornleghorn (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 2:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I worked in a state organization and I had the maintenance person tell me it was not his job to cut grass. Figure that one out!!!
Posted by Swapmeet (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 7:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How many city workers does it take to change the lights?
The same number as the number of MDOT workers it takes to work on a runoff ditch between Natchez and Fayette. Usually one running the machinery and five or six standing there watching while smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee.
Posted by Kaintuck (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 9:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Swapmeet - Hey Bud, long time, no read; good to see you on here again, and trust that you and your youngster had a very merry Christmas. Hope that all is going well in teaching, college and life.
Posted by getalifenatchez (anonymous) on January 3, 2009 at 12:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Excellent article Ben.... As always, you call it like you see it, and I tend to agree with you 99.9 percent of the time....
I have preached high and low for years pointing out obvious neglect to detail around our beautiful city.... like your well written articles, I think most people read it and agree, but won't do anything about it..... I was in Texas recently, and was so impressed by the attention to detail in one community I visited. I thought to myself, never in Natchez....... We can't even keep the right aways around town mowed, and the trash picked up.... not to mention the weeds in public flowerbeds along roadways.... Grass growing over curbs along our highway medians in town.... Coming off the trace, its enough to make you want to turn your vehicle around and leave........ I think we are being taken for a ride again w/ our new "administration"... Doesn't surprise me---- I usually expect the worse around here, because thats what you usually get back in return.... The Democrat can point out blight, and neglect to detail all they want, because most of the morrons who live here don't have enough class to do anything about it..........
Posted by itsmemame (anonymous) on January 3, 2009 at 4:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
dangyankee, your last post certainly appears to confirm the fact that you are truly a "CLASSLESS moron". Sometimes it is best to keep quiet.
Posted by itsmemame (anonymous) on January 3, 2009 at 4:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Now it's my turn at your breakfast menu. You posted your apology while I was typing. The label can be changed to..... "CLASSY moron"!
Posted by gottabehappy (anonymous) on January 3, 2009 at 8:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
WELCOME TO NATCHEZ!
But not to worry, Obama will CHANGE everything.
Posted by SayItRight (anonymous) on January 3, 2009 at 9:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's the same everywhere. Ever noticed how many people on a construction site or on road crew are just standing there leaning on a shovel? Many people have gotten lazy and careless about their jobs because it seems as if when you do work hard, those around you who don't work as hard as you get the same size piece of the pie.
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on January 3, 2009 at 10:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I appreciate the fact that you care enough to even call this to the city officials attention. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease". It is stealing from the city,but I seriously doubt anything can be done about it without somebody yelling discrimation. Good article.
Posted by Hardcorps (anonymous) on January 3, 2009 at 11:38 a.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by andy (anonymous) on January 3, 2009 at 12:53 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by BHillyer (Ben Hillyer) on January 3, 2009 at 2:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Just for the record, I do have an Adams County tag (have since I got married in Adams County in 1999). I have lived in Natchez for nearly ten years. I am an registered voter in Natchez and have voted in every election since Hank Smith was elected mayor in 2000.
Posted by ProNatchez (anonymous) on January 3, 2009 at 5:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by natchezman (anonymous) on January 2, 2009 at 10:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
people are just mad cause they dont work for the city nosey people like concernedNTZcitizen are haters dont know the half of it if they got off there butt and got a job they would not know what every onr else is doing MIND YOUR BUISNESS thats the prob with this city
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Sounds like natchezman was working in that crew.
If they slack off that bad while they knew Ben was there to write a story, you have to wonder what they do when no one is watching them.
Posted by libdem601 (anonymous) on January 3, 2009 at 5:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Great article Ben!
Sadly, this happens all the time. If only the workers could be put to better use such as picking up trash along the highways or just keeping the landscape clear and mowed. I would love to see a new beautification project in Natchez. It has been on my mind (since the first impressions group came to town). It would cost money, but we could put all the electric lines into the ground, relandscape alot of the land, and put up new light posts. Most of the lights along the highways are rusted and unattractive. Just thinking about all this since the First Impressions group. We really could make a difference!!
Posted by getalifenatchez (anonymous) on January 3, 2009 at 7:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
libdem601---excellent letter.... You pointed out several things in your letter that "bug" me.... The rusted light poles around the city are in bad condition... If we could only get the rest of our city looking as nice as the new Liberty Rd. /Sgt. Prentiss interchange... I'm concerned now about all the weeds springing up in the new flowerbeds.... Who is in charge of keeping them weeded and re-mulched? Ben does a wonderful job of pointing out situations that make me want to jump w/ joy knowing I am not the only one who see's these things.....
Posted by BobHenkel (anonymous) on January 4, 2009 at 11:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Great article Ben. Happy New Year.
Posted by andy (anonymous) on January 4, 2009 at 5:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ben, sorry i was not talking about you, I was referring to some of the others and you know the comment waa true. Why did you remove my comment, freedom of speech is gone now for Natchez.
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